School performance: How to find Government data for your child's school - and what it all means

• Thousands of young people across the country will be heading off to a new school later this year
• If parents want to find out more about a school, there is all sorts of official information at their disposal
• The Government has a dedicated web portal to compare schools
• Here you can find Ofsted reports, performance and attendance data, SEN provision and more

The summer term - the very last one of the current school year - has now begun.

This year’s primary school leavers are now entering their final months at primary school, with the summer holidays and the start of secondary school just around the corner. For secondary school pupils, there are now just weeks to go until GCSE exams begin, after which many will move on to the sixth form - which may again be an entirely new school. Even parents of four-year-olds will soon be buying uniforms and preparing their child to enter Reception before they know it.

Most families with children heading off to new schools will now have some idea of where they’ll be going this autumn, and will no doubt be curious to find out more - to make sure the school is the right fit for their child. Luckily, the Government has an enormous range of information available on state-funded schools, from performance data to Ofsted reports. All of this can help families build a clear picture of what a school is like as a learning environment.

Here is a quick look at some of the key data available, including where to find it, and what parents most need to know:

How to access government school data

The Government has a special web portal that allows members of the public to search and compare data about state-funded schools in England, including test and exam performance, Ofsted inspection reports, and even financial information. It can be found online here.

Clicking the ‘start now’ button will take you through to a page where you can look schools up, either individual schools by name, or all schools across a location, local authority area, or Parliamentary constituency. These other options allow you to sort schools by performance across a range of different metrics, which is useful for comparing different schools in a certain area.

Once you’ve found the school you’re looking for, clicking on its name will take you through to its information page.

Key school details

Once you’re on a school’s information page, there is a wealth of information to be found. Right up the top, above even the school’s name, you can find out what type of school it is. This is important, as currently, academies and local authority-maintained schools have a few key differences - such as academies not having to follow the national curriculum.

Below the school’s name will be its address. There’s even a mini-map you can open by pressing ‘show map’, to get a better idea of where it is. There will also be a link to the school’s website, and a link to its page on the Ofsted website.

Other important information parents might want to know about the school can be found by clicking the drop down arrow next to ‘show more school details’, just below the school’s address. This includes the local authority area that the school falls under, the current headteacher’s name, whether the school has a religious character, what sort of SEND provision it has, and whether it is a selective or a comprehensive school.

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Ofsted Reports

Towards the top of the page, you’ll find a link to a school’s Ofsted report. Ofsted is the Government’s school performance watchdog, and its inspectors visit schools and rate their performance based on quality of education, student behaviour and attitudes, school leadership and management, and safeguarding.

By clicking this link, you’ll see how a school fared in each of these categories. Those that go above and beyond often earn an ‘outstanding’, while those that meet expectations will earn a ‘good’. Those that don’t will be marked with ‘requires improvement’, but may also be marked as ‘inadequate’ if the inspector finds serious issues.

Schools inspected recently won’t have an overall grade as this was dropped late last year, but schools inspected a while ago might. You’ll be able to access full reports on this page, where inspectors will go into why they have given schools the ratings they have. It is worth noting that Ofsted inspections are currently being reviewed, and what they are assessed on and the grades they get may soon change.

Performance

The Government’s compare schools portal has in-depth performance data available, with even more expansive data available to download. This can look a little different depending on what stages a school teaches. Below the school’s key details, it will usually have buttons directing you to its primary, secondary, or 16 to 18 performance data - or more than one.

For primary schools, the first key piece of data you will see is the percentage of the school’s pupils who met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. This is based on the SAT exams they sit in Year 6, and the national and local authority area averages will also be included as a reference point. Other performance data available includes the percentage of pupils achieving at a higher standard in reading, writing and maths - as well as the school’s average scores in reading and maths. Further down the page, you’ll also find links to a few extra results (usually grammar, punctuation and spelling), results based on pupil characteristics, and how the school’s results compare to the year before.

For secondary schools, the key performance measure you will see is the school’s Progress 8 score. This is a unique measurement that shows the progress that pupils make from their primary school SATs, to when they sit their GCSEs. For most schools, this will be a decimal figure between -1 and 1 (although it can be higher or lower in exceptional cases), with 0 being about average. Schools are sorted into bands based on these scores - ‘well above average’, ‘above average’, ‘average’, ‘below average’, or ‘well below average’ - which are also displayed.

Secondary schools also have a wide array of other data available. This includes the proportion of their pupils that enter the English Baccalaureate, or ‘EBacc’ (meaning they study towards qualifications in English, maths, sciences, a language and either history or geography); the percentage staying in education or entering employment after Year 11; the percentage who achieved a Grade 5 (considered a strong pass) or above in their core English & maths GCSEs; their Attainment 8 score - another unique measurement based more on grades; and their EBacc average point score, all compared to local and national averages.

Sixth form performance can be found under the 16 to 19 tab, and includes links to performance in a few different areas. The key tab is the A Level one, although you can also explore student destinations after sixth form and the subjects students have entered under the others. Under the A Levels tab, you’ll find two further tabs, one with its performance based on A Levels alone, and one based on its performance across all Level 3 qualifications the college offers.

For A Levels, the key performance data parents look out for is usually the average result. This includes another unique measurement known as an ‘A Level Point Score’, the average number of performance points per A Level entered by a given school’s students. These roughly align with letter grades (A, B, C etc.), and both the point score and letter grade should be available. There is now a new progress score available too, which measures students’ progress since their GCSEs in a similar way to the Progress 8 score. You’ll also see the percentage of the school’s students who stuck around until the end of their main course of study - another important metric.

In very rare instances, performance data may be withheld for some schools. This is often due to very small class sizes, where giving out exam data may risk a pupil’s privacy.

Attendance, pupil numbers and more

On any school’s information page, you will also find a few other tabs. One covers workforce and finances if that is of interest, but likely of more interest to parents is the absence and pupil population tab.

School attendance is important. A recent Department for Education report found that pupils who attended school nearly every day in Year 11 were almost twice as likely to achieve a Grade 5 in their English and maths GCSEs, as those who attended 90 to 95% of the time. This means missing just 10 days of school reduced the likelihood of getting a strong pass by around 50%.

Under this tab, you can find the school’s overall absence rate, as well as the local authority area’s and national average for comparison. You’ll also see the percentage of pupils who are persistently absent, meaning they’ve missed at least 10% of half-day sessions in class.

Finally, you’ll see the school’s overall roll size and some demographic info, which can be useful for getting some idea of what its student body looks like. Included are figures on how many of its pupils are eligible for free school meals and how many are receiving SEN support, among other things.

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